Recipient Organization
ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
ALCORN STATE,MS 39096
Performing Department
Home Economics
Non Technical Summary
The growing trend of childhood obesity is a major national concern. The obesity issue is affecting even preschool children among whom 26.7% are overweight and 12.1% are obese (Ogden, 2012). Problems arising from obesity are already surfacing in children as young as 6 years of age as they are at increased risk of developing both diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Skinner et.al. 2010). If obesity problems can threaten the health of six year olds, then prevention intervention must start in early childhood. Early Childhood is the most crucial age for development as habits formed in the early years continue into adulthood.Mississippi as a state has an alarmingly high proportion of obese and overweight population who are predominantly of African-American descent. This project will be instrumental in initiating obesity prevention efforts in preschool children as it is the most influential period to lay the foundation for healthy behaviors. By helping children develop healthy behaviors with the involvement of their parents is bound to have a positive impact on children's present and future health. The project will evaluate children for their weight status, assess the home environment for healthful behaviors, and design activities and curriculum to educate parents to inculcate healthful behaviors in their children. The project will also be able to identify the unique factors that are negatively influencing healthful behaviors of young children. The activities and curricula designed through this project will be designed according to the Head Start guidelines so that they can be replicated in other childcare settings throughout the state and the country.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Overall Goal: The goal of the project is to prevent childhood obesity by employing a multi-factorial approach. The project efforts will be directed towards conducting multilevel assessments and using the results of these assessments to formulate structured interventions for parents and children on physical activities and nutritional behaviors.The specific objectives are as follows:To screen children and parents to assess their Weight statusTo assess Dietary Behaviors of parents and childrenTo measure Physical Activity of parents and childrenTo examine the Home environment in relation to nutrition and physical activity.To implement culturally appropriate and sustainable interventions to promote healthful behaviors in parents and children.
Project Methods
Research Method: The study will employ a cluster-randomized controlled experimental design to evaluate the (1) difference between the experimental and control groups receiving intervention, and (2) change within the group receiving the intervention on outcomes of percent fat, percent lean mass, PA, and diet quality among parents and children. The study will involve Head Start programs within four counties in Southwest Mississippi which have low economic conditions, high proportion of African American population and record a high prevalence of obesity in the state. The project sites are the 4 counties under the agies of AJFC agency - Adams, Jefferson, Amite and Wilkinson. Adams and Jefferson counties have one Head Start center each while Amite and Wilkinson have 2 Head Start centers each. The primary outcomes of height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) will be measured at baseline and end of 8 weeks. Secondary outcome includes assessment of dietary behaviors, physical activities of both parents and children, home environment depicting parenting self-efficacy in managing their child's weight related behavior. Exploratory outcomes include effect of parenting self-efficacy on child outcomes and finally the efficacy of the intervention as determined by changes in BMI and pre-post evaluations.A total of five groups of 20 parent (10)-child (10) cohorts will be enrolled. Eligible parent participants are Parents whose child/children attend Head start programs from target counties (Adams, Jefferson, Amite and Wilkinson); Parents who identify themselves as key care givers for their child/children; Parents whose children are enrolled fulltime into the Head Start program; and parents who provide a written consent to participate in the program. Children of eligible parents must be between 3 and 5 years of age and enrolled in Head Start programs from the target counties full-time. The decision to invite all BMI groups (lean, overweight, obese) is twofold: (1) enrolling only obese staff is stigmatizing, and (2) the multilevel intervention is aimed at parents and their children with a prevention intent for children regardless of parent BMI. Children recruited for participation must be 3-5 years of age with no complicated chronic (e.g., obesity, diabetes, asthma) or acute illnesses that are not medically managed or stable. Child assent will be obtained as appropriate.Plans to recruit parents and children would include various formal and informal approaches. Formal approaches include through project presentations made at various parent meetings organized by Head Start and also through orientation sessions organized by project team to recruit parents. Informal approaches to recruit parents and their children will include word-of-mouth, handouts, letters/ phone calls and emails with the support of the Parent Coordinator at Head Start. Parents expressing a willingness to participate in the study would be required to complete a sign-in sheet with their contact details and also provide a formal written consent form. The consent form would include details of the project such as purpose, procedures, risks, benefits, voluntary participation requirements and other pertinent information.Following collection of all baseline data, the research assistant (RA) or PI will meet with participants to review the intervention components. Participants will receive intervention designed through the project which includes aspects related nutritional and physical activity components. All participants will design a personalized program from a menu of activities with a goal of increasing their physical activity and improving diet quality such as increasing fruits/vegetables, reducing sugar sweetened beverages, or portion control. To ensure the intervention is delivered as intended, several strategies will be implemented. First, the RA will be provided systematic study training by the study principal investigators. This training will include the following: overview of study; the consent and enrollment process, review of data collection procedures, review of the intervention description with all components and implementation plans, and the participant intervention training session. A return demonstration will ensure competency in intervention training of participants.